Impact of Marine Protected Areas on Fishing Communities

Due to the fact that Canada has the longest coastline in the world, over 7 million square kilometres of ocean area and a vast diversity of species, it is not surprising that marine protected areas are an area of interest for some researchers.

Conservation Biology recently published an online article (May 3, 2010) by Mascia et al, which examined the effects of marine protected areas (MPA) on fishing communities. The research concluded that MPAs cannot be definitively labeled as good or bad and the effects of MPAs on fishing communities vary within and among groups, when comparing different indicators of social well being. For example, the research did indicate that MPAs can enhance food security, but at the same time current MPA practices can negatively affect a minority of fishers.

Further, the authors suggest that more research is required to better explain inconsistent effects on the social well being in fishing communities and to establish a scientific foundation to inform policy decisions.

Perhaps the goal of the BCMCA, to identify areas of high conservation utility and human use in Canada’s Pacific waters, will contribute to ongoing research that is required to better understand the complexities of popular conservation strategies such as MPAs.